


we've got eternity

by Xaizar



Series: 404 series name not found [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: (briefly) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Domesticity, Fix-It, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, POV Alternating, Piercings, almost everyone lives, if you disagree, prompto should have been punk, relationship... eventually, slightly OOC, you dont
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xaizar/pseuds/Xaizar
Summary: Ardyn is saved well before Verstael Besithia is even born. What will he do now, instead of fester for a few thousand years?
Relationships: Prompto Argentum/Ardyn Izunia
Series: 404 series name not found [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2064930
Comments: 15
Kudos: 33





	1. sweet freedom!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> despite this part of the story taking place during episode ardyn, i have not watched/played episode ardyn and the background stuff is basically what i know about it from other fics. But then im already scrapping the canon and using it for pieces so, whats a bit m ore non-canon stuff.

Ardyn had been locked away for three days now, and he was starting to get seriously bored. He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to endure the next… well, eternity, so he chose not to think about it. Which helped for all of about five seconds, given the utter lack of stimulation on Angelgard.

He decided to count bricks again. He’d gotten up to five hundred and twenty-three when he heard an odd clanking, like someone had pushed open the iron door that led to the desolate island outside—but that was impossible. It had been made very clear that no one would be coming for him. Perhaps he was going insane?

His hypothesis was supported when an unfamiliar man walked into his cell. He wasn’t sure whether visual hallucinations were a step up in an objective sense, but at least he wasn’t bored.

“Good day to you!” he croaked, throat dry for obvious reasons. “I must say, of all the visions I could have manifested, you are a rather pleasant one.”

The blond did a double take. “Have you been hallucinating?” he asked, concern threaded through his voice.

“Aren’t I right now?” Ardyn would have stood up to try and touch the man, and see just how far this trick would go, were it not for those pesky chains—but no need! The man approached him and tested the manacles, before moving down to the chains embedded in the stone wall. In his hands, the chains glowed red-hot, and he pulled them apart like taffy.

Hm. Ardyn raised his hands, and it seemed that he was truly tied up no longer. Perhaps not his imagination after all. He’d have to find a different way to rid himself of the manacles, though.

“Well, I don’t think I’m fake,” the blond answered, and pulled Ardyn to his feet. “Besides, we’ve got better things to do right now than debate my real-ness. I’ve got a boat tied to the dock, but I’ve never been the best at knots.”

“How could I say no to that?”

* * *

They were well away from Angelgard by the time Ardyn had the presence of mind to ask any reasonable questions. For instance, “Why did you just save me? I am, of course, incredibly grateful, but also rather confused.”

His companion sighed. “It’s… a long story. I guess I should start with… You know the prophecy, right?”

Ardyn sneered. “That old thing? Unfortunately, yes.”

“Well, you’re not the only one who doesn’t like it. Um. Long story short, there’s a way to go about getting rid of the Starscourge without you and several other people dying. Like, it's still gonna suck, but it’ll be… better.”

“How delightfully cryptic of you. I assure you, I have never been one to be straightforward when I can be dramatic—don’t let me stop you.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to!— It’s just. Okay. Basically, I can see the future.” Ardyn felt as though that would be a good place to stop, and let him boggle, but the blond kept talking. “And spoiler alert, you and I are going to be BFFs—” _What does that even mean?_ “—And I really don’t want you to die, so we’re just going to take a bit of a different path.”

“Well. How can I argue against that?” Ardyn leaned against the side of the boat—a canoe, really—and stares at the blue sky he thought he’d never see again.

It was another half-hour of sailing towards the mainland before his new friend broke the silence. “I never introduced myself, did I? God of—or one of the gods of, I suppose—lightning, at your service.”

That got Ardyn to sit upright. “Blasphemy? How exciting!”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t notice! The chains? This boat moving without a sail or oars?”

A pause. “I… had my mind occupied by other matters.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok ive got plans for this right to the end of the game. but itll be a while before i can post it so whaddya think about this
> 
> also unbetaed. so if you see a random verb in present tense please tell me i try to proofread but ;-; its hard


	2. what's in a name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys finally talk about things, and it only takes them a decade. Why? I thought it would be funny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so there is NO plot in these next two chapters. all character development. not a lot of action.

It was a decade of hopping around the world before Ardyn realised he’d never asked his companion’s name. Or introduced himself, for that matter, but that had been rendered moot by the whole god thing at play.

The blond frowned when Ardyn mentioned this. “I guess I… forgot my name. I didn’t even think to tell you one. I just—haven’t used it in so long.”

“That reminds me—where  _ are _ you from? I’ve never heard mention of some twink—” (he’d learned that word from his friend, apparently from several centuries into the future) “—god of lightning, with poor fashion sense.”

“Fuck off, man, you don’t see me saying anything about your—whatever it is. The ruffle. Anyways, it’s. It’s kind of a long story—”

“All of your stories are long.”

“—But I guess I should tell you, huh?” His mystery man sits on a bench and watches the people flow by.

“I’m not worshiped here. I used to be, by people on another continent. But a while ago, Bahamut inspired his missionaries to sail across the ocean, try to find people to spread the good word to. Didn’t work out. They found some people, sure, but turns out strangers showing up out of nowhere and yelling gibberish at you isn’t a good way to be converted. The missionaries ended up running out of supplies, tried to sail back home, died on the way there, but not before spreading some weird disease.

“It didn’t wipe my people out, but it came pretty close. And with so few people… well, worship kinda fell by the wayside, especially for the more minor gods. Didn’t really have anything to do, so I was just wandering for a while. Then, I heard about you, and another one of Bahamut’s schemes, and not that I don’t care about you, but can you blame me if I wanted a chance to fuck him over?”

Ardyn chuckled. “Not at all, my dear.” He turned to face the god. “You still don’t have a name, though. So what should I call you?”

“Oh, I dunno. You choose something—I’ve never been good at naming.”

Ardyn considered him. The way he moved, light and fast, befitting of a god of lightning, which came in handy when you associate with a fugitive. The smooth strokes of his paintings, how all his figures blended together seamlessly, and yet were simultaneously perfectly distinct. The metal piercings that studded his face, glinting in the noon sun of Lestallum.

“How about… Prompto Argentum? It means “quicksilver,” but it sounds more like a proper name.”

“Prompto.” He rolled the word in his mouth, as though testing the feel of it. “I like it. Prompto Argentum.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ardyn thinks in purple prose. i am not accepting criticism on this point


	3. domesticity...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interlude in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is inspired by that one tumblr post about vampires. if you know which one im talking about please tell me so i can link it.  
> Update: found it lads this whole chapter is literally just a reference to this. https://www.instagram.com/p/CId1vDsAQJF/?igshid=1qm5r6bivy1ul

Prompto dropped into Ardyn’s house and flung himself onto the couch, face-first. “Ardyn. I’m in  _ pain _ .”

The man in question looked up from the sweater he was knitting. It wasn’t going very well, but then, he had all the time in the world to get better. “What is it this time?”

“Okay, so, I might have forgotten to check in at my house for a bit. It was only, I dunno, five years, but I guess I was “declared missing” and then “presumed dead,” and the locals decided to repossess my house and auction off all my stuff! Like, five years is nothing, really. And  _ now _ I have to find all my old letters and stuff, because my family will make so much fun of me if they see them, but some of it is a few hundred years old and is “part of history” or something.” He had turned off his stomach and was now airing his grievances to the ceiling.

Ardyn abandoned his knitting and got up to make coffee. It sounded like they were going to need it, and also, Prompto had gotten him addicted to it by bringing him drinks from his homeland.

“And a bunch of my paintings got bought by the Lucis Caelums. Which is why I’m here. Do you want to get revenge on your brother by breaking into the Citadel and stealing back my paintings with me?”

“I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the day, Prompto.”

* * *

It had almost been too easy. The current batch of royals liked to think that they were all equal, on the same footing as their citizens, and generously showed this by turning part of the Citadel into a public art gallery, rather than… really, anything that would help their citizens. But it did mean that he and Prompto could just waltz in, nothing more than two more tourists, and find the paintings at their leisure. 

Ardyn walked up to one. Prompto had pointed it out as one of his dearest paintings, and he could see why—it was a candid of himself, attempting to create a sock, and Ardyn had always said he didn’t have any bad sides. In fact, Prompto had perhaps painted him a touch more handsome than was strictly true, but artistic license and all. He read the small placard below the painting.

_ Artist: Unsigned, assumed Prompto Argentum _

_ Date: Unknown, estimated 30–50th year of rule of Queen Elmara. _

_ Watercolour on paper. _

_ The domesticity and soft lighting of this scene suggest an intimacy between the artist and the subject. The rough, quick style of the painting imply that it was an unposed moment, an idea corroborated by the mangled knitwork of the subject. This, and other paintings in a similar style by the artist, are an example of the impressionist style that is gaining popularity. _

Huh. That was… interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that line where ardyn says he has all the time in the world to get better at knitting... thats basically where i got the title from. its just a one-off joke that i thought sounded poetic enough. if i change the title of the fic thats why
> 
> i DO intend this to be read as ardyn/prompto because i think it fits in the context of the story. i just don't know how to write romance, so please read everything through rose tinted(for love) lenses.
> 
> that line about coffee. i thought it would be too pointless to put in the main story, but in my canon, coffee isn't native to their known world of eos (lucis, niflheim, tenebrae, accordo,etc). prompto got ardyn obsessed with it and ardyn convinced him to introduce it to eos, which means ignis has ardyn to thank for coffee.


	4. a beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prophecy begins to work, and so do two immortals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's this? plot?

He and Prompto had been laying on the couch together, laughing at some ridiculous television show—and weren’t humans such ingenious little creatures, to come up with such things as televisions and coffee drinks and combustion engines? Certainly, Ardyn wouldn’t have come up with any of it, even with his ridiculous amounts of free time, because who needs to work when you have a friend who can see the future, and lotteries? Setting aside that Prompto could literally create money. He called it a parlor trick, but then he regarded anything short of starting a natural disaster as no big deal.

Anyhow. Couch. Television. It had all been very sweet and, to quote some long-dead museum curator, domestic, and then Prompto had sat up ruler-straight from where he’d been resting his head on Ardyn’s lap. He took a moment to mourn the warmth, and then asked, “What is the matter?”

Prompto snapped out of his… trance? Ardyn wasn’t sure. He had been staring into the distance, completely dissociated from himself for a moment. “It’s the prophecy. It’s starting.”

Well, that was exciting. “So how do we go about stopping it?”

Prompto sighed. “It’s… It’ll be difficult. I won’t see you much once the Chosen King begins to grow up. If Bahamut sees me with you and the Prince, he’ll be suspicious. But… here’s what I was thinking.”

* * *

It was the work of a moment to arrange Lucian citizen, Prompto Argentum’s, new life. He lived in a modest house, and had two absent parents, both of whom received a tidy bonus at work and sent most of it home to their son, who was growing up to be an independent young man. Clean record, average grades, unnotable other than that he’d been adopted, biological parents unknown. But he’d been so young when he found his new home, and it wasn’t uncommon, given the refugee crisis from the war.

All in all, perfectly normal, perfectly safe. Nothing that could concern the King or his advisors. Except...

He pouted upon realising he’d have to remove his piercings, not  _ legally _ old enough to have them.

On a bright spring day, Prompto Argentum slipped into Prince Noctis’ life, with a slap on the back and an open smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ardyn never went evil, never joined up with niflheim. so they dont have demon technology, just normal technology. they're still able to take insomnia, though.


	5. Altissia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lunafreya's martyrdom is interrupted.

Lunafreya heaved herself to her feet, bracing against Leviathan’s rage on her trident. Noctis wouldn’t die here. She gritted her teeth, and pulled hard on her magic, and it paid off in massive arcs of light surging towards Noctis, raising him from where he was slumped on the ground. Her trident vanished, re-appeared in his hands, and she fell forwards.  _ If I die now,  _ she thought,  _ it will have been worth it. _

“Now, Princess,” a smooth voice called, “This is no place to die.”

She turned, and saw… well, she wasn’t sure. He wasn’t anyone she’d seen before, that was sure—his odd fashion sense rivaled Ravus’. Behind him, a dropship hovered, doors open.

She glanced around. It seemed there would be no other way out. He walked up to her, and held out a hand.

She accepted it, and winced.  _ What was he… what  _ was _ he?  _ Her hands glowed as she almost reflexively tried to heal him. But he gently tugged her hands away. “Now is not the time for that, my Lady.”

She considered him. “When the prophecy is fulfilled,” she promised, “all in thrall to darkness shall know peace.”

His face made an odd twitch, as though trying to determine the correct response. After a long moment, he replied, “Perhaps,” and led her into the ship.

* * *

Later, in a quiet room where Noctis slept and Ignis hid his eyes, she asked about him. They knew as little as she did: that he was an odd creature, helpful and unnerving at once. 

* * *

Luna cupped Noctis’ cheek. “You must go on,” she said. In her boots, Luna still had a bit of height on him, just enough to look down at him, and it felt like they were children all over again.

“But—the marriage—”

“Was never in good faith. Lucis is fallen, Noctis, there is no treaty to bind us anymore. Take time for what you have to do, and consider yourself. Maybe, once we’ve fulfilled our destinies, we can consider love—but for now, we both have too much weighing on ourselves. I must help rebuild, and heal, and you must find the Crystal.”

He nods, and dips his head. “Yeah. I’ll, I’ll do that. But afterwards…”

“Perhaps.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ignis is still blinded. It just feels weird to take that away. just assume it happens differently.  
> also, god. I can't believe luna just died like that in canon? jsut gets fridged?  
> all of my chapters are so short


	6. Zegnatus Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interlude.

“You coulda come up with a better way to swing it, but… I’ve missed spending time with you like this,” Prompto said. He and Ardyn were pressed together on an overstuffed couch, watching old reruns of bad shows.

“What, as my prisoner? I’d never have thought you were such a deviant,” Ardyn joked.

Prompto punched his arm. “No, I mean, just—alone. Not worrying about the fate of the world.” He sighed. “I… I know it has to be done, but… I can’t help but hate what’s about to happen.”

Ardyn pulled him closer. “At least you don’t have to play the villain,” he offered. “Besides, ten years is nothing, really. We spent longer being pirates.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> an even shorter chapter!


	7. the longest night

The ten years of darkness demanded change. Some days, it seemed like more had changed than stayed the same.

  
Ignis noticed that Prompto’s group always brought back the most canned food, the most formula, the most survivors. Not so much or so many as to be incredible—just enough to make him a touch suspicious. But he didn’t want to confront Prompto and risk it ending, because there was always barely enough to go around, so he kept quiet and watched.

Gladio noticed that when he was fighting alongside Prompto, he never got hurt. Same for everyone hunting with them—oh, they got scrapes and bruises for days, but never stab wounds, or broken bones, or anything serious enough to demand one of their ever-dwindling supply of potions and elixirs. But he didn’t want to risk their ‘lucky streak’ coming to an end—they’d long since run out of Phoenix Down.

Ardyn, for his part, didn’t mind the Long Night all that much. For one, he’d never been much for the sun once it burned him like the fire it was, when he’d had to pile on layers of clothing and slather himself in suncream. But more importantly, he wasn’t alone—that last year before Noctis had been taken by the Crystal, he’d barely seen Prompto. It would’ve been far too suspicious for him to disappear for any significant time; even more suspicious for him to be friendly with someone the Prince had deemed a shady stranger at best. And for all that he’d told Prompto that ten years was nothing, in the grand scheme of things, he had felt that “road trip from hell” (as Prompto had described it) like he was mortal again, each day so slow as to be unbearable.

Now that Prompto wasn’t tied at the hip to the Prince, though… between hunts and scavenging, he came home to Ardyn, a little apartment in Galahd that no one knew they had. He knew that he’d never hold Prompto’s whole heart—somewhere in the years of friendship, a plan for a better future had become real camaraderie between Prompto and Noctis, and the Shield and Advisor—but Ardyn would always know him best. Besides, Prompto’s heart was big enough for four, even if it was a completely different kind of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so what did they eat for ten years???


	8. sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Step Four: Profit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SERIOUS tone switch here, courtesy of noctis being the pov. he's just... an angry little man

When Noctis walked out of the subway station, dressed to the nines in his raiment, with Luna, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio beside him, something in him knew that everything was coming to a close. Seeing Ardyn standing like some fucking asshole bird on a streetlamp only fueled it. Of course he’d be here, turning up like a bad penny.

“Fashionably late, I see,” he drawled. God, he wanted to warp-strike him off like nothing else. Noctis drew a breath to yell at him, but Prompto beat him to the punch.

“Ardyn,” he said, “It’s time. Get down from there.”

“Now?” Ardyn Lucis Caelum, Usurper, Accursed, whined. “But—I had a grand monologue planned, it was going to be properly dramatic and everything—”

“Now. Come down here, we won’t have long.” Prompto said.

Baffled, Noctis looked at his retainers. Ignis and Gladio looked just as confused as he felt, but Luna—

“Ah,” she said, a small grin spreading across her face. Noctis could not relate less. He would really have loved to know what was happening.

Ardyn warped down, and Prompto turned to Noctis. “Do you trust me?” he asked.

“I—of course, Prom, but what the hell—”

“Okay. There’s a way to purge the Starscourge without you dying. Please, come here, Noct, Luna.” He’d moved to stand beside Ardyn, not a trace of fear on his face, despite their last... interaction.

With no small amount of trepidation, Noctis walked up to Ardyn. “What do we have to do?” he asked. If worst came to worst, he could always kill Ardyn anyways.

“Luna,” Prompto said, “You have to heal Ardyn. Noctis, with Bahamut’s blessing, can give you the power you'll need.”

Noctis couldn’t help but feel a bit insulted, to have spent ten years powering up for a climactic last fight, only to become a glorified battery… but he supposed it would be better than dying. He eyed Ardyn, who looked all too amused at Noctis’ suspicion, and was already holding Luna’s hand. “Well, Your Highness? What are you waiting for?”

He gritted his teeth, and took Luna’s other hand.

The pain was immediate and incapacitating—he was on fire from the inside out, and not like a Phoenix Down, but like the Infernian himself was possessing him and he was going to end up nothing but a pile of bones and ash. He vaguely noticed Gladio helping him sit—but how could he touch Noctis, when his skin was aflame?

Above them, lightning was rolling and rain was crashing down in sheets, none of it coming to douse him, but washing off a golden dome covering the six of them.

What felt like an eon, but was really about ten seconds later, Luna let go of both of them, and she and Ardyn also collapsed onto the ground. Prompto fell to his knees and cradled his face, which would have been sweet if it wasn’t _Ardyn_ —and also if Prompto wasn’t arcing with electricity, hair standing up even straighter, eyes so bright they could be flashlights.

In the sky, Bahamut raged. He was fighting, and—Noctis realised with a start— _losing_ , against unfamiliar gods. There was a woman with a longsword that shined brighter than silver; a man who threw a trident against Bahamut’s sharp armor; a girl that stood away and shot arrows, which grew thorny vines where they landed. Others joined the fray, and Noctis noted Gentiana—no, Shiva, had appeared in their dome, gently picking Luna up. Ramuh, and Leviathan and Titan, watched from afar, neither helping nor hurting Bahamut or the unkown gods.

More surely happened, but Noctis was exhausted, and could barely keep his eyes open enough to see Ignis shaking him by the shoulders and demanding answers. He managed to stay awake just long enough to see the first hints of sunrise in a decade, and to see Bahamut scream and fade to the Astral Plane, and then he was out. 

* * *

When he woke, it was to a soft bed and the sight of Prompto sitting on Ardyn’s lap and giving him a truly embarrassing kiss. He cleared his throat, and Prompto near leapt off the couch he (well, Ardyn) was sitting on, and flushed.

“So,” Noctis asked, “What the fresh fuck just happened?”

“Noctis! It’s… a long story. I guess I should start at the beginning, huh?”

“...and if I could have, I totally would have taken the Scourge from Ardyn, in a heartbeat, but… I wasn’t strong enough. The power Bahamut gave you, even if it was meant for you to kill Ardyn with, was really something. The most I could do was hold him off while you and Luna purged it. I asked some of my family to help me with that one. They can’t say no, I’m, like, the baby of the family.”

“So… we’re good? No more endless nights?” Noctis asked, just for the reassurance.

“Look outside, if you aren’t sure,” Ardyn said. Noctis… still kind of hated him, but at least now, it was mostly for his unbearable smugness. He went to the window, and outside was…

It was the morning golden hour again, a whole day having passed while he recovered, and the streets of Lestallum were bathed in warm light. People flocked outside to be reminded of the end to the Long Night. A few had already set up stalls, for carved wooden toys, and food, weapons, and—

Noctis’ breath caught. He thought he might have been crying. 

Prompto smiled. “My sister realised that there wouldn’t be much growing after so long without sun. She decided to give us a bit of a head start.”

The streets were a riot of colour. Perfect flowers spilled from window boxes; plants of every type burst through dead grass and pushed stubbornly through cracks in the road. Vines of morning glory climbed up brick walls and pipes, and a few children laughed as they braided flower crowns.

Prompto joined him at the window, camera up to his eye. “Way better than dying, yeah?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that's all folks! hope you liked it. might go back and edit some stuff.  
> extra notes:  
> \- are noct+gladio+ignis still friends with prompto after all is revealed? i... dunno. it's a pretty serious betrayal, to have known all of what was going to happen and not just allowing, but facilitating, it. ignis, at least, understands that it had to be done, because there wasn't a way to truly save /everyone/. if prompto had prevented the fall of insomnia, noctis wouldn't have the motive to take the crystal and bond with the gods, and therefore gain the power to cleanse ardyn. as well, promto does really care about them: he spent so long knowing them and living in each other's pockets that he can't help but feel close to them, and vice versa. they'll get there, eventually
> 
> \- since noctis turns his back on the prophecy, the crystal loses its power, and the Ring still disappears. with nothing giving him a right to rule, noctis steps down, and lucis figures out a democracy of some sort.
> 
> \- lunafreya and noctis are, for the moment, not in love. they were too young when they met in person; they've spent too long apart. with no politics telling them to marry, they don't. at least, not yet. for now, they can enjoy the freedom they never had before, between their fated destinies and politics, and then ten years of darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> If you bookmarked/followed/whatever this fic, I'm so sorry about my update "schedule"  
> Also there's going to be a deleted scene uploaded... Soon? so yeah


End file.
